Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Alex Johnstone the 51 year old Scottish Conservative & Unionist politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the North East Scotland Region has tabled a motion in the Scottish parliament in an attempt to raise awareness about Macbeth’s reign, the former Scottish King much maligned by Shakespeare’s portrayal of him as a as a murderous villain. Billy Briggs in an article published in The Guardian titled ‘Scottish campaign aims to reveal the real Macbeth’ states “ …He was the Scottish king immortalised in one of William Shakespeare’s plays as a murderous man driven by a lust for power which led him to guilt, madness and an ignominious death by beheading. Now a campaign in Scotland aims to rehabilitate the 11th-century ruler’s tarnished image, arguing that Shakespeare fictionalised the Scot’s reign and misrepresented the truth in the eponymous play. …The idea for the campaign followed the recent discovery of the remains of Richard III under a car park in Leicester. The 15th-century English king was also portrayed as a villain by Shakespeare and the subsequent debate about facts pertaining to his life led to Alex Johnstone MSP tabling a motion in the Scottish parliament in an attempt to raise awareness about Macbeth’s reign. The motion read: “That the parliament notes the discovery of what is believed to be the remains of the English king, Richard III; considers that the subsequent debate on the merits of his reign were prompted in no small part by his portrayal by Shakespeare; contrasts this debate with the treatment of Macbeth, king of Scotland from 1040 to 1057, by Shakespeare in the play, Macbeth, which was not written until around 550 years after the death of the king at the Battle of Lumphanan; believes that the play is arguably more a reflection on the relationship between Shakespeare and his patron, King James VI, rather than an attempt at historical accuracy…”

Inspired by Billy Briggs, The Guardian ow.ly/imZpJ Image source Scottish Parliament ow.ly/in0vG

Kevin Macdonald the 45 year old Scottish director, best known for his films One Day in September, State of Play, The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void and Marley; has been profiled by Ian Burrell for The Independent in an article titled ‘’The world is full of opinion. What we need is people who go out and find the facts’. Burrell states “Think before you shoot,” is the advice of the Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald to anyone with a newly acquired video camera who fancies themselves as a bit of a film-maker. …at the forefront of exploring the internet-driven phenomenon of amateur documentary making – celebrated in his crowd-sourced film Life in A Day, which was based on 80,000 clips submitted to YouTube, all recorded on 24 July 2010. Yet the remarkable snapshot of modern life, later shown on BBC1, did not convince Macdonald him that the age of the amateur is upon us. “You would find beautiful little moments and very talented people who had done something really special but that was the needle in the haystack,” he says. “It has become as easy to write a blog as it is to make a film or take a photograph – you don’t need any particular skill, you can just do it. There’s a democratising side to it but it also means that a lot of stuff gets sprayed out there. Nobody thinks before they switch on the video recorder.” …Documentary making has become harder than ever, Macdonald maintains. “These days if you had £120,000 for a documentary you would say that’s unbelievable. Today, 18 years later, you are expected to make something for BBC4 on the same subject for £40,000, which is the equivalent of £20,000 back then.”

Inspired by Ian Burrell ow.ly/fmTBk image source BBC ow.ly/fmTt3

Suffering. Now there's an artistic word (May 8th 2012)

Alison Louise Kennedy the Scottish writer known for a characteristically dark tone, a blending of realism and fantasy, and for her serious approach to her work. Kennedy has published an article in The Guardian titled ‘Suffering. Now there’s an artistic word. Or so you’d think.’ Kennedy states “I have been trying to write for at least a quarter of a century, and I can say very firmly that in my experience, suffering is largely of no bloody use to anyone, and definitely not a prerequisite for creation. If an artist has managed to take something appalling and make it into art, that’s because the artist is an artist, not because something appalling is naturally art. …I was recently in the company of a film producer. …the producer told me all about how necessary it was that creative people of every type should have as awful a time as possible. …To his way of thinking, comfort and success are poison, the Stones never did anything good after they’d got money, Van Gogh prospered because of mental distress, obscurity and ear mutilation and, actually …The producer hadn’t got any other examples, but he was convinced: if you weren’t hurting, you couldn’t be working.

Inspired by The Guardian http://ow.ly/aEbXT image source Tim Duncan http://ow.ly/aEbWi

Case for independence is a fundamental one (March 5th)

Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond the 57 year old Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) has begun campaigning for the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. Salmond in an interview with Sir David Frost stated, “I think the case for independence is a fundamental one. It is about Scotland as a nation and nations have a right to self-determination. [They] usually are better to govern themselves as opposed to let somebody else do it for them.” In the interview Salmond discussed the practical economic issues related to a Scottish independence including the lucrative oil and gas fields located in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. The final date for the referendum is still to be confirmed for the small nation with a population of only five million people, with several October dates under consideration. Salmond and the SNP won a landslide election in 2011 with an overall majority, giving him the ability to call the referendum on Scottish independence.

Inspired by Simon Johnson http://ow.ly/9m78I image source http://ow.ly/9m6aG

I started making sculptures and never stopped (November 25th)

Karla Black the 38 year old Scottish sculptor renowned for her use of everyday objects in her work has been nominated for the 2011 Turner Prize. Black’s work has been exhibited at various well placed galleries including the Tate Britain, Kunsthalle Nürnberg, and the Saatchi Gallery. Black has a Master of Arts from the Glasgow School of Art, and uses feminine objects in her work including cosmetics, toiletries, textiles and pastel colours. In an interview with Coline Milliard, Black stated “I didn’t study art at school. I left when I was 16 and got a job … I started to read a lot and go to galleries in my late teens … I had a feeling that I wanted to “do” something but I didn’t know what  … I started making sculptures and never stopped.

Inspired by Coline Milliard http://ow.ly/7rMHf image source facebook http://ow.ly/7rMMA